Who Can Access Your Phone Data if Something Happens to You?

When someone dies, loved ones often have unnecessary difficulty getting access to device data because there was no plan in place to grant account permission to anyone else. Companies work hard to protect data privacy but be aware that your documents, photos, and special communications can be lost if something happens to you when no one else has account access.

Many attorneys have started including instructions for data access in estate planning documents, but some companies may not accept those instructions or a power of attorney. You can prevent the problem by using individual company resources to set up your data access plan.

Apple, for example, recently added a “Legacy Contact” feature that allows you to give someone you trust access to your Apple account data after you pass. Facebook and Google have similar Legacy Contact provisions, but the level of access varies by company. Check the website for any vendor that stores your data to make sure you have a tight plan.

To set someone up as an Apple Legacy Contact, go into Settings on your Apple device, click the Apple ID and iCloud account information section at the top of the screen, open Password and Security, click Legacy Contact, then click “Add Legacy Contact.” Your contact will get a text letting them know they were chosen as such, with a “key” they need to save in case they ever need to get into the account. This “key” can save a lot of work – without it, a court order will be needed…so make sure they save the key.

Make sure your contact is aware they have access and is familiar with how to use your data. If your contact is trusted, but not very tech-savvy, having access alone might not help. Your contact will also need to check the time requirements for each vendor –accounts can automatically expire after a certain period of inactivity.